The Look In Your Eyes, Like You Could Save Me
by bolshakobia
Summary: Set in HBP, & DH later. Dramione! Angst, fluff, friendship & more. -Hermione realizes Draco is in too deep & sees a whole new side to him. He doesn't want this, and she knows it, so she helps him. A more realistic D/Hr story. R&R. 6th Chapter now up!
1. I Saw, Pictures in my Head

**I'm really starting to get into Dramione. I find it pretty odd, seeing as I'm a firm supporter of Ron and Hermione, but something about this angsty ship just brings me in. Anyway, this is set in The Half Blood Prince. Draco has a lot of pressure on him to complete the task that Voldemort has set out for him. Here's the kicker. He doesn't want to have anything to do with this, as he's finally beginning to see that maybe the Dark Side really isn't that great after all. He wants to get out of it, but seeing as he and his family would be in grave danger, he can't do anything about it. And in the midst of all this drama, he's fallen for Hermione! Gee, what a shocker right? He's liked her for about a year and a half now. Hermione can kind of see that something's off about him, but seeing as they're not exactly the greatest of friends, she doesn't mention it to anyone.**

**Oh, and this is to the song "I Saw" by Matt Nathanson. I already made a fanvideo to this song because I just love it so much and I think it fits in wonderful with this storyline.**

**I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own a nice Slytherin shirt. (:**

_Summary: His fingers tapped nervously away at the old wood of the classroom desk. He kept his head down, letting his hair fall in his eyes. He just wanted to get through the class and back into the Room of Requirement. He just wanted this to be over. He could almost feel Snape's prying mind try to break through his defense, but his aunt had taught him well. Snape couldn't get into his head. At least not into the thoughts that mattered the most. Oh, not the thoughts about the vanishing cabinets. No, no. Those weren't the thoughts he was hiding._

He didn't even know what they were learning about today until a voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back to reality.

"Fiendfyre is cursed fire. It can crumble objects to ashes at a mere touch. If its left burning long enough, it will take the shape of fiery beasts and pursue any human target."

Her voice was just a little bit higher than usual, the usual tone she took on when she felt proud of herself.

Now that he was closely paying attention, he noted the silence that followed her answer and knew that Snape was trying to figure out anyway to insult her.

"Very well, Mrs. Granger," Snape said and continued on with his lesson.

He couldn't resist. He knew that at this very moment she was smiling, and he had to see it. Slowly, he raised his head to see her triumphant smirk. His mouth twitched, but he resisted the smile, bringing his eyes up just a little farther to meet hers. She stared right back, and Draco was amazed at how her smile didn't falter in the slightest as she looked at him. He expected it to contour into an expression of hatred and disgust, giving him all the more reason to fight against his thoughts. It was no more than three seconds that they had locked eyes before she turned away, and he put his head back down. Yet, he couldn't seem to get those three seconds of his mind for the rest of the day.

*And it's amazing, with the look in your eyes*

*Like you could save me, but you won't even try*

He had had it. His plan was crashing and burning and if he didn't get himself together soon, he would be dead. This was the Room of Requirement, for godsakes. Why the bloody hell couldn't it mend the cabinets for him if it did everything else? Fuming, he walked out the door, not even noticing that the two little girls who were actually Crabbe and Goyle weren't there anymore. But another girl was. In fact, he ran straight into her.

"Ow!" she shouted rubbing her shoulder and looking at him warily. He knew she was expecting him to start yelling at her and treating her like a piece of scum. He was so drained, so frustrated. To top it all off she was looking at him in a way that made it hard for him to forget all the reasons they didn't belong together.

"Sorry, Granger," he mumbled and turned around, trying to make a quick escape.

He had almost rounded the corner before he heard her running towards him.

Her hair was in her face and her mouth was slightly open, her visage showing nothing but confusion.

"You…Why did you say sorry?" Her eyebrows were raised and she was searching his eyes for an answer. The knot in his stomach tightened and he turned away from her.

"I ran into you. That's the usual apology that comes after somebody does that," he was trying hard to keep his tone snide and uncaring, but he couldn't think of anything rude to say.

He scoffed and tried to walk away only to be stopped by her standing right in front of him, freezing him in his place. He could have sworn that it was much cooler in the hallway only moments ago.

"What do you want, Granger?"

She was more intimidated now that he was standing right in front of her, in his expensive suit, loosening his tie. She couldn't deny that he had lost his boyish features, and that nowadays, even if he was being cruel to her, he was doing it in a very attractive way. She took a breath and her Gryffindor courage had found her.

"You've just been acting differently lately. You're so pale, and it looks like you haven't been sleeping in ages. And you're not…" she blushed and paused.

"I'm not what?" Draco sighed.

"Well frankly, you're not putting up much competition for me in classes anymore. We used to be neck in neck for top of the class. And I guess…it's just not as fun when there's not much of a challenge," her cheeks were a fiery red and he could tell she wished she hadn't said it.

He didn't have time for this. He didn't have time to stop and talk to her and explain to her why he's doing all the things he never wanted to do. He didn't want to be talking to her here in the hallways, both of their voices strained for fear of saying the wrong thing. Of course she thought he would say anything he pleased, but she didn't know how hard it was to resist saying everything on his mind in this abandoned hallway. If only things were different, the constant thought in his mind popped up again. If only it wasn't like this.

"Yeah, well, things change. School isn't always the most important thing. Getting good marks is a ridiculous excuse for a challenge in the state of things," he was getting riled up as his thoughts trailed back to the Room of Requirement. What he had to do, **that** was a challenge.

"What are you going on about exactly?" she questioned.

"I am saying there are harder things then school," he said through gritted teeth.

Just then she realized just how hollow and empty his eyes were. Sure, they were always gray and cold, but whenever she looked at them in their previous years, they seemed to shine along with the rest of his face. But now, they had lost their wonder, and his face and body were as bony as ever. His lips were chapped and as he spoke, she knew he was frightened. But of what? Maybe Harry was right, maybe he really was in more trouble then he had let on.

"Like what?" she asked.

He sighed and shut his eyes, to open them back up to see her worried expression.

"I don't have time for this, Granger."

"What. Is. Wrong?" Hermione was agitated now, as she was sure he was hiding something. What kind of secrets lay behind this façade?

Already in a small bit of shock that they were having a conversation without insulting each other every other sentence, what she said now was truly astounding. This wasn't like his Slytherin friends or Snape asking what was wrong, he knew they just wanted some of the glory. This wasn't like Pansy asking him why he was acting so differently, she just wanted all his attention on her. No, it seemed like, but of course he had to be mistaken. It seemed as if Hermione genuinely cared at least a little about his wellbeing. That couldn't be right; it was probably a ploy of the trio. Figure out what Malfoy is up to and go running to Dumbledore when they sense trouble.

"Stay out of it," he voiced loudly.

"Draco. You're in way over your head, whatever you're doing. It's not worth it, I can tell. It's going to be okay. Really," she said in a hushed whisper.

He closed his eyes again. The lump in his throat was now swelling up and the way she whispered his name echoed in the back of his head. Not Malfoy. Draco. With a tone of pleading, she said it. Everything she said was right, except for one thing, of course. He opened his eyes to chuckle darkly at her and say that nothing was going to be okay, but she was gone. He stood alone in the hall, biting down hard on his lip. How he wished what she said was true.

*And then you tell me again, how everything will be alright*

*And if I told you, that I'm sorry*

*Would you tell me that you were wrong?*

*Or would you hold me down forever, if I came to you for answers?*

That night he fell asleep just moments after his body hit the bed. That night, he dreamt of her.

Professor McGonagall was leading him up to Dumbledore's office and he didn't know why. He stood in the entrance, and McGonagall ushered him forward.

"You know what you must do, Draco," she said in her stern voice.

He approached Dumbledore's desk and saw that he was smiling.

"Ahh, Draco. Finally decided to finish the job? It's about time, I'll say. C'mon, let's see it. Give me your best shot," said the old man as he got up from his chair and stood in front of his desk with his arms above his head, showing that he was unarmed.

"Do it, Draco," cracked a raspy voice.

Where McGonagall once stood, Voldemort took her place. He was wearing an evil grin and suddenly Draco's parents appeared in front of Voldemort. He pointed his wand at them and looked at Draco again.

"Do it, or I'll kill them. One. By. One," he cackled.

Draco stood paralyzed with fear, turning back and forth to see his family and Dumbledore. He didn't want to do this.

"I can't. I can't do this."

Fear was etched upon his face. He put his head in his hands and attempted to pull out his own hair. He knew Voldemort was about to either torture or kill one of his parents, but nothing happened. When he pulled his hands away from his face, he saw that Voldemort and his parents had disappeared.

Hermione Granger stood in the doorway.

"You did it, Draco! You did it!" she squealed and ran toward him. He didn't have time to ask what exactly he did. She ran and embraced him and suddenly, her lips were crushing against his. He reacted quickly, and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off the ground. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and there they were. Hermione Granger was snogging _him_, and doing a damn good job of it too.

He could hear Dumbledore clapping and saying "Well done, boy."

As he pulled away from Hermione for some air, the whole school surrounded him and was chanting his name.

He was pulled off the ground and everyone was cheering for him.

"You're going to be late to Potions!" a small boy was jumping up and down.

What did Potions matter now? But the boy kept saying it, and Draco woke with a start.

"Bloody hell. I've been trying to get you up for minutes," the familiar voice of Goyle sounded.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, not feeling very rested at all.

"You should really get a girl, if the only action you're getting is with your pillow," said Nott.

"Shove off," he muttered and started to get dressed.

*And I saw, pictures in my head.*

*And I swear I saw you opening up, again*

*Cause I would be heavenly, if baby you'd just rescue me, now*

*And I'm surrounded, you spill, all alive and brand new*

He woke up and noticed he was drenched in sweat again. Ever since the best dream he had in his life, he had been having terrible nightmares. It had been three weeks since he had seen Hermione Granger. Three weeks since he has talked to her in an abandoned hallway. His days were getting more and more hectic with every passing moment. He was still at a loss for what to do, and every day he got closer and closer to breaking. One good result of this was that he didn't have anytime to think about Hermione. Hardly anytime to linger over his talk with her and the dream he had. He knew for certain that he didn't want to kill Dumbledore; he didn't even want to be a death eater anymore. Sure, he wanted the glory and respect; he was brought up that way. But he didn't want it this way anymore.

Every day Draco sat in the common room and listened to his fellow Slytherins talk about the Dark Lord. Draco did the same, and talked about Voldemort admiringly, but now it was just so they wouldn't notice any change. One day, he almost lost it. While Mulciber and Blaise were talking about their future careers as death eaters, he heard a snippet of their conversation. He had blocked them out until he heard the word Mudblood. If it was two years prior, Draco would have jumped at the chance to ridicule those that were born of muggle parents. He heard Mulciber mentioned Granger and both of them burst into a fit of laughter. Draco's grip tightened around his quill and hoped they wouldn't look his way. All he wanted to do was punch them.

*And I'll forget about you long enough, to forget why I need to*

*The days are drifting away from me*

*I still wake up, burning through everything*

*And it's all I know.*

*Somebody save me, now*

She seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Today was the first day in over a month that Slytherin and Gryffindor had a class together. He had looked over at her at least five times now and she didn't seem very happy either. He suspected it had something to do with Weasley. After all, everyone could tell that she fancied him, and he had himself a girlfriend. They were an atrocious couple, snogging in every place possible. A little part of Draco felt envy for the blood traitor; there was apparently something about him that Hermione liked. He wondered if he should talk to her, maybe ask her what was wrong, since she had the decency to do the same thing for him.

The entire class period he concentrated on what to say, resulting on a detention and extra homework from McGonagall for hardly getting any work done.

As soon as class was over, he packed up his bag and raced out the door, waiting outside as the students filed out. Hermione was also trying to make a speedy dash from the class, as Ron and Lavender had started their lunchtime snog earlier than usual.

Instinctively, Draco reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. Both of their eyes widened as she whisked around. Neither of them knew how long their hands were intertwined in each others before they let them drop to their sides. Once again they found themselves in a deserted hallway.

Draco noticed that her eyes were a bit puffy, like she was just about to cry. His stomach knotted at this thought and he felt the sudden urge to hex Weasley.

"All right there…Hermione?" he strained at the last word. He had never called her Hermione before. She noticed the change as well, but didn't mention it.

"I'm fine," she said, wiping her eyes, "really, I'm all right."

Draco opened his mouth to speak but was at a loss for words as he saw her bite her lip and her eyes water. If he were any other person, anybody but Draco Malfoy, he would be a decent person and hug her. But he wasn't someone else. So he just stood there, eyeing her awkwardly while she sobbed.

"I'm sorry, I'm acting so dumb," she said as she continued to wipe her eyes.

Draco's hand reached out and hovered above her body. He hesitated before finally deciding to place his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled, and he did his best to do the same. After a brief silence, he saw her hand moving up to his jaw, placing her warm finger tips against his flesh. Maybe he was imagining it, but he could have sworn she licked her lips before smiling at him one more time. She said "Thanks," in a barely audible whisper and walked off.

His jaw tingled where she touched him as he watched her walk away. Maybe she didn't hate him after all. His heart was racing and his mind was playing movies in his head.

*And I saw, pictures in my head.*

*But I swear I saw you opening up again*

*Cause I would be heavenly, if baby you'd just rescue me now*

**So, it's going to remain a one-shot for now, unless I think of some other idea and decide to continue. Some good feedback might change my mind too (: **


	2. Let's Not Ask Why It's Not Right

**Although I originally intended for this to be a simple, one-shot fanfic, I decided to write a second chapter after I saw the Half Blood Prince.**

**I absolutely loved the movie, and Tom Felton. He did an incredibly amazing job playing Draco, I was literally crying at half of his scenes, especially the bathroom and the astronomy tower ones.**

**Anyways, I really liked the bathroom scene (the way they did it I mean) although I wanted to kill Harry the entire time…but that's beside the point.**

**This is based of the movie version of the bathroom scene more than the book version, because I feel that it goes along better with what I'm about to write.**

**I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does (:**

Draco's eyes widened as he stared at Harry and Katie talking. He knew just what Harry was saying, Harry knew that it was him. All the pressure of the situation seemed to dawn on Draco and the horrible consequence of what he had tried to do hit him. He had failed at killing Dumbledore, and someone got hurt in the process. At that moment, Harry whipped around to face him and saw the fear in his eyes.

Draco had to get out of there, he didn't want to deal with Harry. He didn't want to deal with any of this anymore. He ran toward the nearest bathroom he could find, trying to keep Harry off his trail.

Meanwhile, Hermione was watching the two closely. She too noted the panic in Draco's eyes, and the remorse. As Harry glared at him and Draco ran, she knew he was about to sprint after him. Without a second thought, she got up and darted after the two boys. Just before Harry could reach the door to the bathroom Draco had just gone in, Hermione grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

Harry turned around to face Hermione.

"Hermione, he did it. He cursed Katie. And he knows that I know," he said in a huff.

"I know Harry. You were right, but I don't think barging in there like a maniac is going to make anything better," she tried to reason with him.

"He's a death eater! He is dangerous, Hermione."

"Harry, please. Just let me talk to him."

Harry didn't understand why she wanted to talk to him so badly. He was about to say no to her, but he saw the serious and confident expression on her face that told him she knew what she was doing.

"Fine," he muttered. "Go talk to him. Just be careful," Harry said and walked away.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door and tiptoed in. As soon as the door was shut, she could hear weak sobbing. Her heart gave her a funny little feeling at this noise as though it was absent for a moment.

She took a step and turned her head to see the boy.

He was shaking badly, his pale fingers clutching the sink for dear life. His blonde hair fell gracefully away from his forehead, and the sobbing continued. He had taken off the outer layer of his school uniform, so his tie was hanging loosely; almost dipping into the sink, while his bag and the rest of his uniform lay spread on the tile floor.

Hermione stood, rooted to the spot as she saw the Slytherin boy break down. She wasn't used to seeing guys cry, it just wasn't natural. But it was a completely different thing to see Draco Malfoy- standing feet away from her, endless tears falling into a porcelain sink. As his sobs got stronger, she saw him slowly raise his head to the mirror. He didn't see her, but she saw his reflection. He was still pale, but she could see a touch of color on his cheeks and nose from the crying. His eyes were bloodshot and starting to puff up, and he let out another strangled cough-like sound before lowering his head to stare into the sink once more.

Hermione now felt extra glad that she had stopped Harry from coming in here.

Her first coherent thought was that she should get out of there, that Draco would scream and yell and maybe even hex her if he noticed her watching him. But that thought was interrupted as she realized this wasn't the same exact Draco. Sure, he was still vile and cruel when he was in a bad mood, but she couldn't get the thought of him comforting her outside of a classroom only a month ago out of her head. They hadn't talked since then, since the day she put her hand on his jaw simply just to feel his smooth skin. She wasn't sure, but she sensed he wasn't opposed to that little touch.

If he, after all the years of loathing, could pluck up the courage to ask her what's wrong, she could do the same thing. After all, she had already tried once.

Careful not to make a sound, she approached Draco. She didn't want to startle him, but she wasn't sure how to avoid that.

"Draco," she whispered, as her hand touched the fabric of his long sleeved white undershirt.

At the sound of his name, he shot up from the sink with a startled gasp, nearly slipping onto the floor.

His mind raced. How long had she been there? How god awful did he look? Did she know what Potter knew?

Misery swelled up inside him as he realized that she had obviously seen him crying.

He tried to form the right words to say, but nothing came out but strained sobs. He bit down hard on his lip and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to hide his eyes. Unfortunately for him, his platinum blonde hair was barely long enough to cover his eyebrows, and tears still cascaded down his cheeks.

Hermione felt a gut-wrenching sort of pain as she saw his contorted expression; doing everything he can not to let her see him anymore vulnerable.

_Screw it_, he thought, once he was sure no words could make this situation seem any less pathetic. He resumed his previous position at the sink, trying hard to push Hermione out of his thoughts. _She'll leave, she will._

As much as he wanted to be alone, the thought that she would soon walk out the door leaving him alone with his screwed up mind didn't make him feel any better.

But she didn't.

He didn't dare to look up into the mirror, so he stood shaking at the sink. He didn't hear the familiar sound of her footsteps walking the other way, or the door creaking. And he could have sworn he felt her presence only a few feet away from him.

It couldn't have been more than two minutes that he stood there with all of his twisted images in his head until he felt a slight pressure in the middle of his spine that gave him goosebumps. Hermione's hand slowly moved across the top of his back as she inched closer toward him. Her movements were careful, as if she feared him shrugging her hand of and telling her to get lost.

He would never tell her, but as she traced her fingertips across his spine, he had to grip the sink even tighter, so as not to fall to the floor at her touch. She didn't see it, but he smiled through his drying tears as her second hand rested on his right hand, gripping it lightly.

He straightened up causing her to take her hands off of him, although he wished she hadn't. They both had a kind of silent understanding, as neither spoke a word. Although they were standing facing each other, Draco's head was bowed so that Hermione couldn't see his pale face.

As soon as her arm stretched toward his, he knew what she was about to do. His arm twitched, but he didn't stop her. She took the cuff of his shirt, moving it up to reveal a jet black image on his forearm. She was sad, not surprised as she saw the familiar image of the dark mark imprinted on him. She could easily see his blue veins through his skin, his hair standing on edge. She slid her fingers across the mark once, causing him to take a quick breath before hiding it with his sleeve again.

He didn't tell her how good it felt when her cool finger tips grazed over the permanent mark he wished was never there in the first place.

He didn't know what to say. He could see she was upset, but it seemed as though she already knew.

"I never wanted this," he croaked. "I never wanted **any **of this."

"You say you don't want this. You say this isn't you, but it seems like all you've aspired to be is a death eater," she choked. Finally, she was saying what was on her mind.

"I did. I wanted…I wanted to be powerful, I wanted to be respected, I admit that. I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps onto the dark side. But I was a bloody idiot then. I didn't realize the price at which that comes. Now, I don't want it at all, I don't want it," he pleaded with her.

She nodded in understanding.

"Well, if you're telling the truth, it doesn't have to be this way, you've got other options."

"I have no other options," he whispered darkly. "He'll kill me. He'll kill my family. He doesn't give a damn."

Draco was on the verge of tears again.

"What about Dumbledore? Voldemort fears him the most, everyone knows that. If you just ask for his help, I bet he can provide protection for you and your family."

Her words seemed very ironic. How could he ask for Dumbledore's help when what he needed was Dumbledore dead? Then again, the idea didn't sound that bad. If it was his last resort, he might just have to go to Dumbledore for protection.

"I don't know. I just, I need to figure things out," Draco said.

He raised his head to meet her eyes for the first time that day, and he smiled as he saw compassion within her brown eyes.

He looked awful, she thought, yet something about his untidy appearance only brought her in more. She couldn't help but feel attracted to his loosened tie and disheveled hair.

When she looked back on it, she still had no clue why she did it. But as she stood there looking into the grey eyes of this damaged boy, she couldn't help it. She took a step toward him. Lifting her heels off the ground, she stood on tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, their bodies touching as she hugged him.

At first, he thought it was another one of his daydreams, but quickly he realized this was actually happening. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her closer to him. He buried his face into her shoulder and noticed that she smelled like flowers, although he didn't know which kind. He held onto her tight, noting that this was the first time in at least a year that he had gotten a hug, and from whom better than Hermione Granger.

She liked the feeling of his arms around her, liked the feeling of her fingers lightly clutching his silky hair and his way-too-expensive cologne smelled heavenly. She pulled away after a while and saw that he was smiling widely as he looked at her.

Sometimes, she felt, all Draco Malfoy needed was a hug.

**So did you like it?**

**This chapter basically came from my endless thoughts about how I really wanted to hug Draco throughout the entire film, because c'mon, we all know he needed one. So, Hermione did it for me (:**

**Maybe if I get enough reviews I'll put up another chapter ;)**


	3. A Reason To Start Over New

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, they really make my day (:**

**I've decided I'm going to continue this, but I'm not sure exactly where it's headed. I was thinking maybe doing a kind of semi-alternate version of The Half Blood Prince, and then maybe onto The Deathly Hallows? Yeah, I don't know, you tell me what sounds good. (: **

**If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me. And another thing, if I'm going to be writing a lot of chapters for this story (which is probably going to be the case), I'm going to go pretty slow with their relationship development. With this couple, I think that it is necessary, since they have sure a rough start.**

**The sentences in *asterisks* are lines from the song "The Reason" by Hoobastank, just because I felt they fit in here a little. (: **

**I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. **

She stepped into the warmth of the Gryffindor common room, fearing the worst. Her eyes searched for Harry's and she immediately found him resting in one of the less comfortable chairs, with Ron opposite him. Both looked furious with her. She plopped down into the chair beside them and attempted a small smile to lighten the mood. Harry's eyes glowed with anger.

"You've been gone for more than two hours," started Harry haughtily.

"What the bloody hell were you doing with Draco?" chided Ron.

"He gave Katie that necklace."

"He poisoned me!"

"What's he up to?"

"Why did you want to go in there, to talk to him?"

The comments rolled off one another's, the two boys talking in a rush, getting only half of their frustration and questions out, but Hermione cut them off.

"Shut it!" she wasn't mad at them, after all they did deserve answers. But she could barely register what one of them was saying before the other started screaming something else at her. She took a deep breath, feeling relaxed already.

_She wasn't going to tell them everything._

"Harry, you already know why I stopped you from coming in there, and I reckon you've told Ron as well. You would lose your temper, I know you would." Harry and Ron scowled, but didn't say anything.

_She wasn't going to tell them how his tears cascaded down his face, how he showed her how vulnerable he really was._

"You were correct; he did do all of that. But he didn't _want to_."

"And you believe that?" Ron asked, wondering when his best friend had lost her sanity.

_She wasn't going to tell them how his eyes spoke of the deepest pain and sorrow._

"Yes, I do, Ronald. He doesn't want to be a death eater, he was sucked into it," she looked at Harry too, trying to get them to understand, to believe her.

"He's tricking you, Hermione," Harry said through gritted teeth.

_She wasn't going to tell them how he shook at the sense of her mere touch._

"He's not," she stood up, towering over them.

"The **only **reason he's not lying in the hospital wing right now is because I went in there after you hadn't returned for an hour and checked. If I saw any indication of him hurting you…" Ron trailed off.

It was sweet how he was protective of her. She smiled at Ron and realized she still fancied him, a lot. But she couldn't help feeling as, if it was any other night, if the previous events with Draco hadn't happened, she would feel different. Something had changed.

_She wasn't going to tell them how they sat on the floor of the bathroom, mostly in silence, but sometimes making polite conversation. _

"Thanks, Ron. But really, he's…different. I know neither of you approve, but he's changing."

Harry started to say something but Hermione cut him off.

_She wasn't going to tell them how weak he was, how sorry she felt for him._

"I really am tired, I'm going to bed. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Ron and Harry wanted to press the matter but she was rushing up the stairs to her dormitory already.

_She wasn't going to tell them how he never asked her to leave. She wasn't going to tell them how it seemed he needed her, just a little bit._

*I'm not a perfect person. There's many things I wish I didn't do.*

He felt comfortable lying in his silk pajamas, under warm covers and an overly fluffed pillow. His eyes were shut and he was on his side, trying to clear his thoughts before bed just like Bellatrix had taught him. Truth was, he loathed his aunt and her so called "lessons", but they were necessary. Now was certainly a crucial time to block his thoughts from the Dark Lord. But he couldn't do it. Each time he tried to rid his brain of thoughts and memories, the scene kept playing back in his head. She had touched him so gently, leaving a lingering feeling afterwards on his cold body. She had hugged him. She had seen him cry, and of that, he was embarrassed. She didn't mention it, though. She seemed to know what topics weren't right for her to talk about.

He had reached a calm when she was there, and he felt at peace with her present. He didn't tell her to leave, and she didn't ask if she should go. Once or twice one of them brought up a safe topic, and they dwelled on it, wishing there were more things to say. But they both knew something had changed. He wasn't "Malfoy" or "The Amazing, Bouncing Ferret" to her anymore, he was just Draco. And she wasn't "Granger" or "Mudblood" either, she was just Hermione.

He couldn't help but linger over her suggestion. After all, if he wasn't going to follow through with The Dark Lord's orders, he would need him and his family to be protected; he would need a refuge of some sort. He thought he knew why she stayed; they both knew what she said was right, that that was what he had to do. He had found his resolution. Ashamed but willing, he would go to Dumbledore, there was no other way to put a stop to it.

*I've found out a reason for me, to change who I used to be.*

*A reason to start over new.*

*And the reason is you.*

**Note: Sorry if it might be a bit out of character in some places, I've just watched the amazing "A Very Potter Musical" for the third time, and I can't seem to stop thinking of the characters as they are in a parody musical rather than the books or movies (:**

**It's also rather short; it's pretty much just a filler chapter, but I think it was needed for what's to come. Review because it would make Draco happy :D**


	4. Every Inch You See is Bruised

**I can't think of any creative ways to say I'm not JK Rowling. (:**

"I'm fine," mumbled Draco, not even bothering to swallow his biscuit, his eyes averting her stern gaze.

"No. You're not," she said as she crossed her arms.

He looked away and decided to keep his mouth shut. Tension was in the air; everyone pointedly stared at Hermione standing next to the Slytherin at their house table.

"Can we talk later?" he asked quietly. He could feel his fellow Slytherins stares, questioning why he wasn't insulting her crudely.

She raised her eyebrows at him, but figured it was a lost cause and strutted away.

After a night of a lot of solitary thinking and mulling over, Harry and Ron had rather different reactions to the situation.

Ron, after his breakup with Lavender and new found realization that he might just have a tiny-huge crush on Hermione, was infuriated with Draco. He was convinced that this was all a ploy of Draco's to get laid. Ron stabbed his pancakes and bacon as his conclusion jumped into his head yet again. Didn't he have enough Slytherin girls to shag with? Or was it not enough for him? His anger got even worse when he saw Hermione standing by Draco, and he felt the need to curse him in a place that would free him of thoughts of shagging for a very long time.

Harry was still convinced that he was a full fledged Death Eater, and if he couldn't convince Hermione otherwise...his fists clenched up at this. How could Hermione be such a brilliant witch yet not realize what was so obviously in front of her? He didn't know exactly why Draco would want to use her like this, but after all Draco was the biggest prat he'd ever known. Hermione was Harry's best friend, and he couldn't stand to see this.

Harry and Ron kept shooting glances over at Draco every thirty seconds or so. Finally, when he got up and started walking away, Ron and Harry exchanged a glance that told them that they were thinking the same thing. They hurried after Malfoy down a corridor. As soon as Ron spotted the back of his tailored suit, he darted after him, his shoes clunking loudly against the floor of the castle, giving Draco a seconds warning.

Ron grabbed him by the collar and picked him off the ground, slamming him against the wall while Harry took out his wand and forcefully pressed it against Draco's forehead. Draco scrunched his eyes shut and struggled against Ron's grasp, trying to kick either one of them but failing.

"I don't know what you want with Hermione, but you stay away from her you bloody bastard," Harry fumed.

"Oh, I know exactly what he wants with Hermione. He wants to get in her pants- that's what," yelled Ron.

As mad as Harry was, this sudden outburst from Ron still amused him. Is that really what he thought? Draco hated Hermione, and even the thought of talking to a mudblood, as he referred to her probably sickened him.

At that time, however, Harry being distracted by Ron's idiotic accusation, Draco had the opportunity to grab his wand from his pocket.

_Stupefy_, he thought twice in his head as he flicked the wand. The two were shot backwards into the opposite wall.

_Petrificus totalus_, he thought twice yet again. He smirked evilly as he saw the two with moronic expressions on their ignorant faces. He was just about to dig his heel into Harry's nose for the second time that year when he heard the click-clop of somebody's shoes.

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh when she saw the scene before her. The smirk was instantly wiped off from Draco's face when he saw her inflamed expression. He opened and closed his mouth to speak, no sound coming out, looking back and forth between Hermione and the boys.

"What the bloody hell did you do this time, Draco?" Hermione riled.

"I know this looks bad," said Draco, putting his hands out in front of him as if signaling her to stop. "but I can explain," he continued.

"Go on," she said coldly.

"I was minding my own business, heading to the dungeons, when these two imbeciles came running after me and attacked me. Potter was about to curse me and your little lover Ron decided to push me against the wall," Draco rambled. "That," he pointed to the unmoving boys slouched against the wall, "was self defense."

Hermione scowled and rolled her eyes. Then she started mumbling to herself about boys and violence as she pushed past Draco to perform the counter curses on her two friends.

Ron and Harry sat upright as Hermione kneeled next to them.

"Is it true that you attacked him for no reason?" she questioned them.

"No reason? It's about time that little prat got some sense beat into him," howled Harry.

Draco let out a soft chuckle. "Didn't seem to do a good job of that now, huh?" he taunted.

Harry and Ron were about to pounce on him, but Hermione held them back, much to Draco's amusement.

"So you did? You just went after him for no reason?" she asked again.

Nothing but silence followed her question, and Harry and Ron continued to glare at Draco while he grinned broadly back at them

"Yeah," Ron muttered, breaking the silence. "Yeah, we did attack him, but he bloody well deserved it."

Hermione stood up and smoothed her skirt out quickly before retorting. "You both think you're so much greater than him, and you know what, I used to think that you were completely right. But now…you're the ones who stalk him. You're the ones who _attack _him. He's left you alone all year. I'm not saying that he's a walk in the park; he's a complete arse most of the time too. I expected better from you two."

She finished her small speech, and gave a resentful look to Ron and Harry.

"C'mon, Draco. I need to talk to you," she said without a glance back.

Harry and Ron were beside themselves in shock, only managing to stare at one another in horror after they watched Malfoy sneer at them and go after Hermione.

Draco was elated. Disregarding the arse comment, which he knew he was quite a lot, she had stuck up for him. She had actually yelled at her two best friends for him, and he thought the 'Golden Trio' was inseparable. And there he was, causing a riff in their unbreakable bond.

Draco rounded the corner and found Hermione standing in front of a door that was just starting to form. He knew exactly what it was; the Room of Requirement. He hadn't been in it since his incident in the bathroom, and he never wanted to go back to the vanishing cabinets. Hermione motioned to him to follow her inside the door. He found himself in an average sized room, lit by a fireplace, making it nice and warm.

"They didn't hurt you did they?" she asked as she observed him.

Draco snorted. "No," and a cocky smile appeared across his face, causing Hermione to shake her head, trying to clear her mind of her silly thoughts.

"Good," she declared. "Well then, have you taken my suggestion into consideration?"

"You know that I have. And you know I don't want this. So you must know what my answer is."

"I was afraid that you might have changed your mind," a hint of a blush crept up on her pale cheeks.

"Don't tell me that you don't believe me," said Draco, becoming upset.

"If I didn't believe you I **would not** be alone in the Room of Requirement with you."

And there was that stunning smile again.

"So, you suppose I should go straight to Dumbledore?"

"Actually, I was hoping, that, maybe you could tell me first," she looked up at him, trying to read his expression.

"Tell you what?" he asked, confused.

"Well…what exactly do you, you know have to do?" she knew that this was a bad question to ask, she knew that he didn't want to answer, but she had to know the entire story.

Draco sighed and bowed his head. "He told me to kill Dumbledore. It's punishment for my dad. I've been trying to fix a pair of vanishing cabinets. One is in Borgin and Burkes, the other one is here, in the Room of Requirement. I was thinking that I could…" he sighed again but plucked up the courage to look at her before continuing "I was thinking that I could sneak Death Eaters in the castle."

Hermione didn't say anything for a few moments. Draco could never guess what her reaction to anything would be.

"Okay. Okay," she took a deep breath. "It's okay," she assured him, grabbing his right hand and squeezing it briefly.

"Then I know what we have to do first," she stated.

Still holding onto his hand, she led him out the door, pausing to stand outside it once more. She closed her eyes and walked by it three times. Draco followed her in yet another time when she went in again. This time, Draco **really** didn't want to be here. It was the same Room of Requirement that he had been spending countless hours wasting away only weeks ago.

"Where is it?" she asked gently.

"Follow me," Draco answered.

It didn't take long to reach it. Draco stared at it in disdain.

"Hmm…" Hermione eyed the beautifully carved cabinet. "So, since you've decided to leave the dark side, you won't need this anymore, right?"

"Of course not," answered Draco.

"And from the looks of it, this place has pretty much anything you can imagine?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Draco.

"Accio baseball bats!" Hermione cried.

"What is a bat?" Draco queried.

"It's something they use for an American Muggle sport," she said as five different bats came flying toward her.

Draco certainly didn't know what she was getting at.

She picked the two biggest ones and gave one to Draco. "I thought we'd have a little fun with this," she grinned mischievously at him.

Draco stared in horror as Hermione raised the bat over her head and started to smash it into the cabinet, leaving big dents. She laughed and told Draco to join in. It took a while, but after beating it and cursing it to pieces, they were on the floor, laughing at nothing.

"I didn't know that would be that much fun," said Draco through his hearty laugh.

"Me neither," giggled Hermione.

They composed themselves and started off toward the door.

"That felt really good," confessed Draco.

"I knew it would. When I got angry when I was little, I used to beat my pillow senseless to let out my emotions," Hermione told him.

He chuckled as he imagined little Hermione pounding an innocent pillow, feathers coming out of it.

"Voldemort isn't going to know that you've turned against him is he?" Hermione asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"I was taught Occlumency this summer, and I'm rather good at it," Draco said with a cocky tone.

Hermione laughed. "Of course. You know what you have to do next don't you?"

"Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Dumbledore," she nodded her head in response.

**Not my favorite chapter, but I thought it would be a good way for Draco to let out some of his frustration. Thank you once again to all of my lovely reviewers, and keep reviewing please (:**


	5. I Don't Have To Stay This Way

**A/N: Once again, thank you for all the lovely reviews. I'm surprised I'm getting this many, but it's wonderful! I have an idea for another Dramione fanfic bouncing around in my head, and when I'm done with this one, I'll probably get to writing it. Maybe even before I finish with this one. As you're going to see in this chapter, the events are going to go off a bit more from the original books, but I hope to keep it in line with The Half Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows as much as I can.**

**JKR owns this wonderful world, I just rearrange it.**

Draco found himself lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling and twiddling his thumbs yet again. Last night was, for lack of a better word, fun. Hermione made him beat up the old vanishing cabinet he had worked so hard to repair and it felt exhilarating to finally be rid of the bloody thing. He had gotten a full nights rest, and he would have slept through the rest of the day if Knott hadn't woken him up. He went to his classes, but he didn't see Hermione around anywhere. That wasn't surprising; Gryffindors and Slytherins weren't scheduled to have a class together for a while.

_Then when are we going to talk to Dumbledore?_ He wondered, not that the thought of talking to Dumbledore didn't frighten him immensely, but he just wanted this to be over with.

A thought kept nudging him in the back of his head, _what if she wanted me to do it alone? _

He gulped. After all, she had never specified. But there was no way he was going to just march into the headmaster's office and spill his guts, confessing that he was sent to kill him. No, that certainly was not going to happen.

Days went by and he hadn't heard a word about Hermione, let alone seen her. One good thing was that Potter was too preoccupied with his new bloodtraitor girlfriend to pay much attention to him. In fact, it seemed like the whole incident was wiped from his head. The other Weasley seemed less reluctant to let it go, giving Draco threatening glares that only amused him. But without his best mate Potter, he wasn't going to act on anything, and they both knew it.

After one rather nasty conversation in the common room between the aspiring Death Eaters, Draco decided to head to the library, figuring that was the best place to look for Hermione.

He beamed when he saw her sitting by her lonesome, sitting at a table stacked with books. She was scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment, occasionally looking back at one of her open books. Draco leaned against a shelf of books and crossed his arms, watching her. She didn't notice his presence, and he took the opportunity to watch her for his own amusement. He thought it was cute the way she mumbled incoherent words to herself as she wrote her essay, which he found out was on Charms, when he looked over her shoulder. She still didn't notice him.

Now it was getting annoying. Either she was avoiding him for an unknown reason, or she was _really_ into her studies. Draco figured it was the latter and cleared his throat loudly. She still made no acknowledgment that he was there. Three voice clears later, his throat was starting to hurt and she was still deep in her books.

A smirk played upon his visage as he leaned his head towards her almost-tamed hair and located the spot where her ear would most likely be.

"Miss Granger," he said in a stern voice.

She jerked so much she nearly fell back toward the floor. Her eyes wildly searched for where the noise had come from, and finally they rested on Draco Malfoy. It might have been a trick of the light, but her eyes seemed to light up for a fraction of a second. She put her hand next to her heart and took a deep breath, trying to resume a normal heartbeat.

"Don't scare me like that," she whispered, but he knew she wasn't mad.

"Sorry," Draco shrugged his shoulders and plopped on a chair next to her.

"Did you really not notice me?" he questioned.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

Draco left out a low chuckle. "I was standing here for at least ten minutes, and I cleared my voice a few times too. You still didn't notice me. I was starting to think that you were avoiding me."

Only one thing registered in the witch's mind. "You were watching me?" she asked, starting to blush.

"Oh, most defiantly," he grinned.

She blushed even redder and gazed at him, shaking her head in mock-like disapproval. It brought to mind her fourth year, when another young man liked to watch her study. She silently laughed at her thought. It was preposterous to think that Draco liked watching her for the same reason that Krum did.

"What's so funny?' Draco's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"Nothing," she composed herself into a content expression.

"So where have you been? Not backing out on the plan are you?" she asked him.

"I might ask you the same question. I'm here aren't I? I was wondering when we were going to talk to him," articulated Draco.

"Are you ready right now?"

This was a small surprise to Draco; he didn't expect to actually find Hermione here today, but it didn't matter.

"As ready as I'm going to be," he said.

She smiled with her triumphantly."Just help me put these books back."

"Sure," Draco replied.

He couldn't imagine why Hermione had near twenty books, but then again, this was Hermione Granger. Putting the books back wasn't hard, and they were done in a couple of minutes.

He followed her to Dumbledore's study, trying to control his hammering heart on the way. _This is it_, he thought.

"Toffee éclairs," announced Hermione to the gargoyle statue. Draco gave her a questioning look, so she shrugged and replied "Harry told me what the password was."

They went up on the spiral staircase, and in a blur, Hermione was curtly knocking on the door, then she was gently nudging him through the headmaster's study.

"My, my, what an unlikely couple," Dumbledore said, with no surprise in his voice, only childlike amusement.

"Good evening Professor," said Hermione.

Draco hadn't noticed until now that he was staring pointedly at the ground. He snapped back up "Hello…Professor."

Dumbledore beamed.

"A good evening to you both! Please, sit," he exclaimed, waving his wand and bringing two chairs flying to the other side of his desk.

"What brings you two here tonight?" he asked when they awkwardly sat down.

Although something told Hermione he knew exactly why they were there. He never missed a thing, Dumbledore.

When no one spoke, Hermione nudged Draco a little too hard in the ribs.

He cleared his throat quickly. "Er. Right. Professor, I don't know how I'm going to tell you this," Draco started to talk but stopped when Dumbledore put his pointer finger to his mouth, indicating that he wanted silence.

Draco closed his mouth and gulped. He noticed Hermione's foot was slightly shaking, and she too looked pale. At least he wasn't the only one who was scared.

"Am I about to be regaled with a tale of how you have been thrust into the clutches of the Death Eaters, finally becoming one yourself? And then will I hear of how Voldemort himself assigned you the task of killing me? How you have been feebly attempting, injuring innocent students in the process? Perhaps, you'll tell me all about that tricky little piece of magic, the vanishing cabinet?"

Draco stared with wide eyes of horror as Dumbledore basically recapped his entire year.

"If that's what you came here to tell me, Draco, then obviously I know all of that. But I have a feeling you have something more to say?" Dumbledore finished with a question.

"I destroyed the vanishing cabinet," spurted out Draco. It was the first thing he could think of saying.

"Oh?" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes and smile.

"He did, Professor. I helped him. It's completely demolished," Hermione said shyly.

"Very well, very well. I'm proud of both of you."

Draco fought hard to swallow the lump in his throat. "If you knew, why didn't you try to stop me?" he asked.

"Dear boy, if Lord Voldemort knew that I suspected you, you would be dead for sure. I'm ever glad that you came for help yourself, that takes great courage."

"She's the one who convinced me," Draco threw a quick glance at Hermione. She shrunk down in her chair.

Dumbledore continued to smile radiantly.

"Now, I assume you want your family to be protected as well? Your father is safe in Azkaban at the moment, but we will address him when the time is right. Do you want to hear the plan I have come up with?"

Draco and Hermione merely nodded.

"It's quite simple, actually. In just a few minutes, you, Draco, will be taken away to reside at the quarters of the Order of the Phoenix, who I will notify beforehand of the current situation. I accept them to treat you as any other guest. You, Miss Granger, will leave to go to your dormitory as soon as I'm done telling you the plan. You may tell your two friends, but proceed with caution; I hear they have ill tempers at times like these. I shall tell Severus to come in here at the appropriate time, acting as a witness to the event of the duel between you and me, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco remained silent until this. "What?" he burst out.

Dumbledore merely chuckled.

"We are not actually going to duel. Rather, I am going to pretend that you burst in here in a fit of rage, and we enticed in a duel. It wouldn't be hard to believe that you died fighting me, no offense towards you. I will also tell the Order to collect your mother and keep her safe, under the impression to the Death Eaters that we are capturing her. While you are safe back at the quarters, I will do the necessary magic to portray that you really are dead. Severus will be able to deliver this information back to Voldemort. I think that is all, unless you have any other questions?"

Hermione shook her head, and Draco stared at the old man in wonder. It seemed as if he had given this a lot of thought.

"Did…did you know that I would ask for help?" Draco asked weakly.

"No. But I hoped," his voice was filled with pride.

Draco nodded his head. This was all too much.

"Miss Granger, I suggest you leave now to avoid the confusion of you being here when a student was killed," said Dumbledore.

Hermione rose out of her seat.

"Thank you, Professor."

She turned to glance at Draco. It looked as if a little bit of color might be coming back to him. She smiled to herself as she imagined the fit Mr. Weasley was going to have when she saw his emaciated form.

Draco couldn't express how much he had to thank her for, how much this meant. He mouthed 'thanks' to her, and she seemed to understand.

"Well, bye," she called finally as she descended down the spiral staircase.

Dumbledore was in the process of sending out a few patronuses, and talking through the fireplace, so Draco sat back in his seat, waiting for the old man to finish. A few minutes passed of him communicating with unknown people, and he spoke to Draco.

"The arrangements are made. You will be glad you made this choice. I have opened a one-way passage to the quarters through the Floo Network."

Draco nodded yet again and noticed that that was all he seemed to be doing around Dumbledore. He just couldn't form the words to speak his gratitude. He took the powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. For everything," he managed to speak.

Dumbledore's smile widened and he gave Draco a curt nod as he disappeared into the flames.

**A/N- Kind of a cliffy, huh? So who thinks that Snape should still kill Dumbledore? If that were to happen, who thinks that the gang should know that it's not murder, but a request on Dumbledore's behalf? I've already planned out what's going to happen, but it would be interesting to read what you suspect. Review (:**


	6. It's a Good Year, For a Murder

**A/N-Sorry for the delay, I just didn't feel like writing too much last week. Thank you for all the lovely comments everyone.**

**If anyone is interested in seeing the fanvideo I made that inspired me to make this fanfiction, here's the link (:**

**(Just type in Youtube before the .com)**

**.****com/watch?v=1bzC1nL4SdU**

**Not JKR.**

Draco paced back and forth in the corridor of Grimmauld Place. He had never been here before, but it seemed familiar; just like his cousins or uncle's house. Every pureblood's house had the same basic layout.  
Upon his arrival, he had only spoken with his former professor, Lupin. He had seen a few other people come in and out but no one else even gave him a glance in his direction. He wondered if they really didn't notice him, or they were just ignoring him. He figured it was for the best anyway, he didn't want to draw attention to himself and although he hadn't done anything wrong, he still wasn't their favorite person in the world.

Time passed by agonizingly slow and Draco kept looking at the ancient clock. It had only been two hours since his arrival and he hadn't stopped his fidgeting. When the clock read 2:23, he heard someone else enter through the door. He thought it was just another Order member until he heard soft sobbing. Draco ran to the entrance of his house to see Mad Eye Moody holding his mother by her forearm. She broke free of his grasp when she saw her son to run and embrace him. He was taller than his mother, and he hugged her as she slowly started to shake.

Moody grunted and left the room, leaving them all alone.

"Is it true Draco?" his mother questioned him, breaking the embrace and staring into his eyes.

"Is what true?" he asked.

"You have betrayed the Dark Lord? You will not finish the task he gave you?" her eyes were watering and Draco couldn't figure out if she was upset or happy.

"Yes," he declared.

Her expression stayed the same for a few moments, but when the answer finally sunk in, she smiled.

"I never wanted this for you, you know. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen, they still made you a..a.." Draco knew when she was rambling and pulled her in for another hug.

"Will we be safe?" she sniffed.

"I believe so," he replied.

Lupin cleared his throat and they both turned around.  
"Erm, there's some dinner left over in the kitchen, if you two are hungry. I've showed Draco where you are to sleep. If you have any questions, ask me," Lupin kept shifting his weight from his heels to the tip of his feet. It was obvious that he was very uncomfortable.

"Right. Do you know how, erm, how the situation with Dumbledore went?" mumbled Draco.

"Everything went as according to plan," Lupin said simply.

Well, that was it. Almost everyone know thought he was dead, and even worse they thought he was an attempted murder.  
----------

**A few hours earlier…**

"You're sure?" demanded Snape.

"About as sure as I can be, Severus. As far as I can see, you are not breaking the vow," said Dumbledore.

"And how do you come to that conclusion?" Snape questioned bitterly.

"Repeat to me the exact wording Miss Narcissa used when you made the Unbreakable Vow," requested Dumbledore.

"Will you, Severus, watch over my son, Draco, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?" Snape repeated the exact words to Dumbledore.

"You most certainly watched over him, go on."

"And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?"

Dumbledore simply nodded.

Snape took a deep breath. "And, should it prove necessary…if it seems Draco will fail, will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?"*

"Ah," said Dumbledore with a smile. "You see, Severus, Draco did not 'fail'. He simply surrendered, which was a very brave task indeed. Failing, as I understand it, would be if he tried to assassinate me, but I overpowered him," replied Dumbledore.

"That's all very well, and I understand that I did not actually break the vow. However, since the story is going to be that he did _try_ to kill you and you _did _overpower him, the story will be that he **failed**," Snape said the last word slowly, trying to make a point.

"That is why you still must kill me," Dumbledore answered, in a casual tone as if they were discussing the latest Quidditch match, or the weather.

"Face it, Severus, I am weak and I would much rather prefer a simple and quick death rather than the one I am destined for. And you cannot forget that you have to prove your loyalty to the Dark Lord," said Dumbledore.

Snape glared at him and thought carefully about what to say. It seemed there was no way out of this.

"When?" he finally asked.

Dumbledore put his hand up to his chin and started to scratch his beard, pondering over the situation.

"I have no need to make arrangements, as I have already taken care of that. _When _depends on you."

Snape scoffed. "So, when I feel up to killing you, I should just do it, is that what you're saying?"

Dumbledore smiled weakly.

"Not quite. Rather, you have two options. You can kill me right now in this very office, run to the Dark Lord, and everyone will think you have betrayed the Order and myself; until the war is over that is. Or, I would be happy to inform the Order of our plan, and although you will still play the part of a Death Eater and Voldemort will have no suspicions, at least the right people will know the truth."

Snape stared at him, shocked. He had never even considered the possibility of someone knowing the truth after he would inevitably kill the headmaster.

"What is it going to be, Severus?" Dumbledore prodded.

**Haha, I'm evil. I had to have a cliffhanger, what story doesn't have them? :D**

***The Unbreakable Vow is taken directly from The Half Blood Prince, page 36 in the hardback American version. Sorry it's a bit short, kind of a filler, but I couldn't come up with anything to exciting, and this is better than nothing. Reviews are love (:**


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